fuel limiter on gas tank ?

[skidfrog]

Hi all.....quick and easy fix I hope

Just brought my mini home today......kind of surprised the tank has a "fuel limiter" so I could only fill to 3/4 tank.

anyone know how to remove that option ?......kind of odd since there were no seat belts in the bus.....but safety is safety I guess.

I presume there's a sensor of some sort ….but not actually inside the tank itself ?

[leadsled01]

Never heard of a fuel limiter? I would think you have a clogged vent or something...

[cadillackid]

are you sure the tank is only filling to 3/4 or is your dashboard just saying 3/4? its fairly common for the dashboard gauge sending unit to go bad and give you false readings of how much fuel you have.

-Christopher

[Booyah45828]

I've never heard of a fuel limiter and have no idea what the caveats of such a device would be.

I agree with chris that your sending unit/gauge is most likely the problem.

If it truly is only 3/4 tank I'd then look at the fill tube vent being the problem.

[Tango]

You can always use the old "stick in the tank" to determine just how much fuel is really in there. I have known several people over the years that have never had a working gauge and rely 100% on the stick (usually something like a length of 1/4 to 1/2" dowel rod...just keep it clean).

[Brad_SwiftFur]

I've never heard of anything that would limit fueling to around 3/4 of a tank ... I drive big trucks for a living and nearly all those specify (and are designed in such a way) to fill the tanks to no more than 90% of actual liquid capacity. There needs to be room for expansion - and as such, when filled to this level, they are considered "Full" (or at least as full as they are supposed to be).


Here's a question for you - when uncapping your tank after a bit of a drive, do you get a rush of air to release a bit of vacuum in your tank? That is one sign of a clogged vent, though your fuel cap may also provide venting.

[o1marc]

When I fill up, I top off and can see the fuel inside the tank to know it is full. Then check the gauge and plan accordingly.
I can't think of one good reason to limit the fuel level in the tank. What bad can happen when it's full?

[cadillackid]

I think they have a cutaway bus which is mire like filling a car where you can’t see the fuel.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I think they have a cutaway bus which is mire like filling a car where you can’t see the fuel.

I fill my truck to fill the spout every time.
I always check the fuel gauge in everything I buy. Usually I will bring a couple gallons of fuel on board and then run the tank dry. That way I know how far I can go on the gauge. I also fill to top off so I can see how far I get before it hits "full" and then each quarter.That way I know in the future where I am. I understand running a diesel dry is not good, but you can see where your top end of the tank is. They just replaced the fuel sending unit in my truck and it's way off. Where I used to get 50 miles to full and 50miles per quarter and approx. 40miles after empty. Now it gets close to 120 before it hits full, but still empties after the "E" by about 25 miles.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Tango

You can always use the old "stick in the tank" to determine just how much fuel is really in there. I have known several people over the years that have never had a working gauge and rely 100% on the stick (usually something like a length of 1/4 to 1/2" dowel rod...just keep it clean).

Most of my buses have had sketchy fuel gauges so I've been using the stick in the tank method till now. i finally have fully functioning legit fuel gauge!

[Tango]

Sounds good ECCB...but don't throw your stick away just yet!

[EastCoastCB]

Oh, I'd never leave out in a bus without my stick!
But if that happens its usually fairly easy to find another.

[skidfrog]

Well THAT brought about some interesting replies......but yes / there is a label attached to the inside of the door saying "this bus has been fitted with a fuel limiter"

I got a quick answer back from a guy in the service dept at Thomas buses in Ontario who looked up my vin # and sent me a pdf on how it's originally rigged ( safety precaution....they started only allowing the mini bus to fill to 3/4 to comply with more safety regulations )

from Albert : " I have attached how they restrict the unit on how much fuel it get. All you need to do is to remove the little hose that they have installed on the fuel sender unit".....he sent me an awesome seven page pdf on how to do it / I can upload here I think

[skidfrog]

headscratch…...trying to attach a pdf here......but if anyone encounters a similar issue when buying a bus I can email it to you !

[Tango]

Fuel Limiter...???


ya learn somethin' new here every day!?

[ennonne]

PDF attached just fine (I can see it). The limiter is just a short piece of fuel line added to the vent line inside the tank.

Fill height in fuel tanks isn't controlled by where the fuel goes in, it's controlled by how the air gets out. Lots of fuel tanks have a vent line that doesn't just end at the tank wall. It goes inside to a very particular location and height.

The DOT requirement is for there to be 10% vapor space when full (as mentioned above). There are many tanks that have much more than that. If one is so inclined (and qualified <- disclaimer) the vent tube can often be moved/cut/raised to get more fuel into the tank.

(I love being able to pick what state I WANT to buy fuel in, instead of buying fuel when the tank is empty. A few more gallons is a few more miles to me.)

[cadillackid]

thats the one PITA about my short bus is only 35 gallon tank.. of course i dont habve a lot of room for more.. but totally would love to be one of the lucky ones toting around 100 gallons of fuel!